The most difficult of all funerals is when a mother or father buries their child. Who can comprehend the sorrow a parent is experiencing when they see their flesh lying in a coffin? When I have sat with them, they always say, “Why couldn’t it have been me”?
Today, we celebrate our Mother of Sorrows. Being immaculate from all sin did not spare her standing under the cross of her divine Son as she drank from the same chalice of His suffering.
The Son she once laid in a manger, the Son she carried in her arms, and who suckled at her breast is raised on a cross hung by nails. No part of His body, her body, was spared from the wounds of our sins. Her spirit was crucified as much as His adorable body; her heart was pierced with the lance that pierced His.
The two feasts, The Exaltation of the Cross and Our Mother of Sorrows, teach us that pain and suffering are part of our human experience. If there were another way to overcome the atrocities of our sinful nature, Jesus and Mary would have been spared.
They teach us not to run from our sufferings or medicate them with distractions as if they don’t exist. “Let this chalice pass me by, but let not my will but yours be done.” Pray to unite your sufferings with the Passion of our Lord Jesus. The coldest heart is converted, and the most atrocious of sins is forgiven through suffering born out of love for the good of another.
Gospel Challenge:
Ask your Mother to stand by your side in intense darkness and despair as she did with Jesus. Her mediation and presence are cause for outstanding courage and comfort. Pray to her often throughout the day.
November 17, 2024, Matthew 13:24-32 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111724.cfm https://www.dosp.org/courageouslyliving/ Bishop Parkes Call to Conversion This past Sunday I was honored to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation to
November 16, 2024, Luke 18:1-8 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111624.cfm Does God have a cell phone? Cell phones are so convenient. We can do so many things with these
November 15, 2024, Luke 17:26-37 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111524.cfm Do Your Shopping Early? Can you imagine walking into a grocery store on the day a hurricane hits?
November 11, 2024, Luke 17:20-25 https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111424.cfm No Greater Love. I remember a movie about Mother Teresa of Calcutta, No Greater Love. Many times, she brought tears to
Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows September 15, 2023
Father Rick’s Two-Minute Homily for The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
September 15, 2023, John 19:33-35
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091523.cfm
Stand by My Side
The most difficult of all funerals is when a mother or father buries their child. Who can comprehend the sorrow a parent is experiencing when they see their flesh lying in a coffin? When I have sat with them, they always say, “Why couldn’t it have been me”?
Today, we celebrate our Mother of Sorrows. Being immaculate from all sin did not spare her standing under the cross of her divine Son as she drank from the same chalice of His suffering.
The Son she once laid in a manger, the Son she carried in her arms, and who suckled at her breast is raised on a cross hung by nails. No part of His body, her body, was spared from the wounds of our sins. Her spirit was crucified as much as His adorable body; her heart was pierced with the lance that pierced His.
The two feasts, The Exaltation of the Cross and Our Mother of Sorrows, teach us that pain and suffering are part of our human experience. If there were another way to overcome the atrocities of our sinful nature, Jesus and Mary would have been spared.
They teach us not to run from our sufferings or medicate them with distractions as if they don’t exist. “Let this chalice pass me by, but let not my will but yours be done.” Pray to unite your sufferings with the Passion of our Lord Jesus. The coldest heart is converted, and the most atrocious of sins is forgiven through suffering born out of love for the good of another.
Gospel Challenge:
Ask your Mother to stand by your side in intense darkness and despair as she did with Jesus. Her mediation and presence are cause for outstanding courage and comfort. Pray to her often throughout the day.
Mother of Sorrows, Pray for us.
Ignite the Fire
Father Rick Pilger, I. C.
Pastor
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